by Simon Rose
The sphere dropped to the floor and stopped glowing. Galderon approached it cautiously, but the sphere rolled toward Eric and came to a stop at his feet.
It began glowing again.
It’s trying to tell me something. Eric glanced at Septimus, then at Jessica. Neither of them were moving. As the feeling came back to his arms and legs, Eric knew what he had to do. He scooped up the sphere and got to his feet. It began to glow brighter, and Eric once again felt the lightning crackle between his fingers.
“Fool!” Galderon roared. “You still resist?” He took out the red sphere, which glowed more intensely.
The blue sphere grew fainter in Eric’s hand. It’s losing power!
“So,” snarled Galderon, “it seems your sphere doesn’t work anymore. It appears that the girl was needed; you can’t use it alone. Now that she’s dead, my sphere is the most powerful.”
He stepped forward and grabbed Eric firmly by the wrist, almost crushing the bones. Eric was forced onto his knees, and he dropped his sphere.
Galderon picked it up and slapped Eric hard across the face with the back of his hand, sending him sprawling over to where Jessica lay in the rubble.
“And now,” said Galderon, holding both spheres in his hands, “everything that ever was, and ever will be, is mine.”
Eric reached over and touched Jessica’s neck, but couldn’t find a pulse.
Galderon released the two spheres and they floated upward in front of the portal. The blue sphere’s glow grew fainter as it orbited the blazing red one.
“Eric,” Jessica whispered. Her eyes flickered to life.
“Jessica! You’re alive!”
“I hope so,” she murmured, sitting up. “What’s Galderon doing?”
“He couldn’t get our sphere to work,” Eric replied. “It doesn’t like him. But now he’s using his sphere to control it.”
“So it’s all over,” said Jessica. “He’s won.”
“Maybe not,” whispered Eric. “We may still have a chance. Kilaya said that Galderon might not be able to handle the terrible power the two spheres will generate together.”
Eric and Jessica slowly rose to their feet. Galderon had his back to them and didn’t notice.
Images continued to shift steadily across the frame. Then there was a pause. In the archway, Eric could see the city of Garoda as it must have looked before the war. Galderon raised his hand and the city disappeared, replaced by views of millions of strange alien worlds.
“Yes!” declared Galderon, triumphantly. “I can feel it all—the memories and thoughts of each and every being in a billion, billion worlds—ultimate power!”
The images flashed across the frame at an incredible speed. The blue sphere spun faster and faster around the red one.
Suddenly Galderon dropped to his knees, hands pressed hard against his temples.
“What’s happening?” he roared, his reptilian features twisted in agony.
“Quick, the spheres!” Eric shouted.
They dashed forward and Eric snatched the blue sphere, while Jessica grabbed the red one.
“Well, you wanted to control everything that is or ever will be,” Eric declared.
Galderon screamed in pain, clutching his head.
“Throw his sphere through the arch!” Eric shouted to Jessica.
Jessica flung the red sphere into the portal. There was a massive explosion of light, and Galderon was gone. The blast flung Eric and Jessica against the wall. Within the arch, there was a swirling flash of colours and blurred shapes. Then a whirlwind swept around the circular room. Jessica clung to one of the chains binding Septimus to the pillar, and Eric grabbed her hand before he could be swept into the swirling vortex. He held tightly onto Septimus’ sphere as dozens of guards from the rest of the Citadel were pulled into the whirlpool.
The wind grew even stronger. Eric watched in astonishment as hundreds of terexians, scarans, olokarens, terrorbirds and malkonors were all sucked into the Citadel through the open spaces between the pillars. The monsters swirled around the room before being swept through the archway.
Then as suddenly as it had appeared, the tornado was gone and the stone frame was empty.
“It’s over,” said Eric with relief, standing up.
“You had me worried there for a moment,” Jessica said.
Eric cradled the blue sphere in his hand. It had stopped glowing.
Eric and Jessica unbuckled Septimus’ chains, and eased him onto the stone floor.
“It’s not over yet,” said a voice behind them.
They both whirled around to see Kilaya, who was standing with Alcamarus and Tobias.
“You’re alive!” exclaimed Jessica.
She rushed over to embrace them all, as did Eric.
“We saw what happened,” said Tobias. “We were sheltering from the whirlwind over by the entrance to the spiral staircase.”
“How did you escape the tunnel?” Eric asked.
“We were lucky,” Tobias admitted. “I pulled Kilaya back just in time. When we realized our path was completely blocked, we climbed down the cliff and joined the others.”
“They’d already taken care of Galderon’s guards,” added Kilaya. “Zaliya flew inside and opened the main gate.”
Alcamarus examined Septimus. “His life force is almost depleted.”
Septimus’ face was devoid of colour, his eyes bloodshot. Alcamarus gently moved his hands down in front of Septimus’ face, and his colour slowly returned. Septimus’ injuries faded, leaving only a dark bruise on his cheek.
“Eric, Jessica,” he gasped, “I’m so glad you’re okay. It was as if I was watching it through someone else’s eyes. I was powerless to help.”
“I’m alright,” Eric assured him. “Kilaya taught us well.”
“She certainly must have,” Septimus agreed, with a smile. “How on earth did you know how to defeat Galderon?”
“I didn’t really know,” Eric confessed. “It was a gamble to let him take the sphere. I figured that, once Galderon was linked to all the other dimensions, his mind would be overwhelmed. I had no idea about the tornado, though.”
“I hope he’s gone for good,” said Jessica.
“Yes,” Kilaya said. “He’s probably stranded in any one of a trillion worlds, with no hope of return. The monsters were all linked to Galderon’s mind too. That’s how he controlled them, but that’s what caused them to be brought here to share his fate.”
“And now we can finally rebuild our world,” said Alcamarus.
“We can help,” said Eric.
“You have helped us enough,” Tobias replied. “Thanks to you, I will soon see my beloved family again. I have learned that they survived and sought refuge in Garanbal.” He turned to Septimus. “Will you stay with us here in Koronada?”
“No, I’m afraid not. Earth is my home,” he said, putting an arm around Eric’s shoulder and pulling him close.
“We must move quickly,” said Kilaya. “The portal is very unstable.”
“Eric, we need you to open the portal,” said Septimus. “We all need to work together and focus our thoughts on the village.”
“Once you reach the other side,” Kilaya said, “the portal here will be sealed. Without a sphere, we’ll have no way of opening it. And we’ll destroy the archway, just to be sure.”
The sphere began glowing in Eric’s hand. After quickly saying their farewells, Eric, Jessica and Septimus joined hands and stood in front of the archway. They all concentrated on Middle Wogglehole until they could see the ruined castle on the hilltop, then the church and finally Septimus’ workshop.
“Now!” Septimus shouted. And without a backward glance, they stepped through the archway and vanished.
Chapter Seventeen
Full Circle
Septimus, Jessica and Eric stumbled onto the pat
h in front of the workshop at Ivy Cottage.
“We made it,” Eric said, steadying himself. “It worked.”
“Will you ever be able to go back?” said Jessica.
“No,” Septimus said. “The portal’s been sealed. But it’s all for the best.” He sighed. “I don’t know about you two, but it seems like an eternity since I had something to eat. How about some lunch?”
They went into the kitchen, but there was nothing in the fridge, and the cabinets were empty.
“Well, it looks like I can’t offer you any lunch,” Septimus apologized. “At least not at the moment. Why don’t you two head over to the shop and get some bread, milk and maybe some bacon and eggs?”
“Yoo hoo. Anyone home?”
Mrs. Pierce swept into the kitchen. She was wearing another colourful flower print dress and her hair looked as if she’d just stepped out of the salon. “Well hello there, everyone,” she said with a broad smile.
“Marigold!” exclaimed Septimus, smiling back at her.
Eric and Jessica grinned at each other.
“I mean, Mrs. Pierce,” Septimus said, blushing. “How are you?”
“I wasn’t sure if anyone was home,” she said, “since the motorbike was gone.”
“Oh yes,” Septimus said, “the motorbike, of course. It’s—er—at the repair shop. Yes, that’s it. Getting fixed up a little.”
“Probably about time,” said Mrs. Pierce, with a chuckle. “I sometimes think that motorbike’s as old as you are. And what on earth are you all wearing?”
All three of them still wore clothes from Koronada, dirty and stained with blood.
“These?” said Eric, thinking quickly. “We’ve been helping out in the workshop.”
“And what on earth have you done to your face, Septimus?” asked Mrs. Pierce, concerned. “Where did you get that massive bruise?”
“Oh, this,” Septimus began, touching his cheek. “Oh, I—er . . .”
“He banged his head on a cupboard door in the workshop,” Jessica explained.
“Yes, yes,” said Septimus, “that’s right, in the workshop . . . absolutely.”
“You and your workshop,” remarked Mrs. Pierce, with a grin. “Well, it certainly looks painful. Shall I get started on watering the flowers and plants then?”
“Perhaps later,” Septimus replied. “We were just going out. I need to check on the progress with the motorbike and the children were about to pick up some groceries. I seem to be out of just about everything.”
“Honestly,” said Mrs. Pierce, with a wry smile, as she gently elbowed Septimus in the ribs. “I sometimes wonder how he copes at all. He never even leaves our little village. Anyway, I’d better go and open the shop for you if you need those groceries. See you later.”
“You aren’t actually going to the repair shop, of course,” said Eric, once Mrs. Pierce had gone.
“No,” Septimus replied with a chuckle, “but we really do need those groceries.”
When they stepped outside, Eric looked up at the castle. The storm clouds had disappeared and the sun was shining brightly. It really is all over.
“Right, I’ll see you two later,” said Septimus, before heading into his workshop.
“Come on, Eric,” said Jessica. “I’m starving.”
They waved to Septimus and hurried off along the narrow lane that led to the village.
